During investigation of an outbreak of vancomycin resistant Enterococc
us faecium in a paediatric hospital, an isolate of Enterococcus durans
resistant to vancomycin, teicoplanin, ampicillin and highly resistant
to gentamicin and streptomycin was found in the stools of a patient a
lso colonized with a strain of E. faecium with the same resistance pat
tern. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of vancomycin and teicoplanin
were 512 and 64 mg/mL, respectively. Resistance to vancomycin as well
as high-level resistance to gentamicin was transferable to an E. faeci
um recipient strain. Both multiresistant E.faecium and E. durans isola
tes as well as the transconjugant presented only one plasmid. The vanA
gene was detected and localized to the high molecular weight plasmid
by DNA hybridization with a vanA gene probe. Growth in vancomycin resu
lted in induction of an approximately 40 kDa protein visible in membra
ne preparations from these cells. Genetic linkage between vancomycin a
nd gentamicin resistance genes in the same plasmid is suggested.